Kailasanathar Temple, Thenthirupperai

Thenthirupperai, a village in the Thamirabarani river belt of Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) district near Alwarthirunagari, is the seventh of the nine Nava Kailasam temples and is associated with Mercury (Buthan) among the “planets” in that group’s tradition — a distinct tradition from the separate Navagraha temple circuit near Kumbakonam further north in Tamil Nadu.

The presiding deity is worshipped here as Kailasanathar, formally the Ponnammai Sametha Kailasanathar Temple, with his consort worshipped as Goddess Azhakiya Ponnammai; the temple’s sacred tank is Virucha Theertham and its sacred tree Maha Vilvam, with worship conducted according to the Kamiga Agamam. Local devotional belief holds that worship here is equivalent in merit to worshipping Shiva at Thiruvenkadu. As with the wider Nava Kailasam group, tradition holds that the nine sites trace to the sage Agastya’s disciple Uromacha Munivar, instructed to set nine flowers afloat on the Thamirabarani and to install a Shiva lingam wherever each one came to rest, attaining liberation after venerating all nine.

This same village is also home to one of the 108 Divya Desams of the Sri Vaishnava tradition, the Magara Nedungkuzhaikkaadhar temple (recorded elsewhere in this directory), a pattern repeated at several other Nava Kailasam sites along the Thamirabarani where a Shiva and a Vishnu shrine of separate traditions share a village. This entry concerns only the Shiva Kailasanathar temple of the Nava Kailasam group; no source consulted suggests the two are the same shrine.

Festivals

The temple’s festival calendar includes Maha Shivarathri, Aadi Puram, Aipasi Annabishekam, Karthikai Deepam and Margazhi Thiruvadhirai, together with monthly Pradosham observances.

Location & Access

The temple is located about 38 km from Tirunelveli on the Tirunelveli-Thiruchendur road, in Tiruchendur Taluk of Thoothukudi district. Buses connect from both Tirunelveli and Thiruchendur; the nearest railway station is Alwarthirunagari, and Thoothukudi has the nearest airport. The temple observes darshan from about 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. It is administered by an Executive Officer registered at Thenthiruperai, Tiruchendur Taluk, Thoothukudi - 628 621. Verify current darshan timings and travel details with the temple or official sources before visiting.